Hodaka Motorcycles Were A Marketing Masterpiece 

I'll never forget Hodaka, my first was a dirt squirter my last was a super rat that sits proudly in the corner of my shop. It runs once a year and as good as when I got it in the 70s.

I’m 80 and sold motorcycles in the’60’s & ‘70’s. I definitely remember the Hodaka’s.

I lived in a small town in Western Canada in the 70s. We had a Hodaka dealer there. I bought a new 1975 Hodaka Road Toad 100cc and was on that bike every day it seemed. Good times. Still riding today and on a R1200GS now. Well done Goon. Thanks for the memories.

My first bike at age 14 was a '78 Road Toad. Loved the huge green tank. $450 out the door with all the street stuff stripped off. I had no idea at the time that Hodaka was in any way cool, or that it was going out of business. Now I feel lucky to have ridden such an iconic bike.

I dont know how the “algorithm” found This for Me, but love it. My friend in the 70s a s very young kid had a Hodaka, and bro in law had a “Montessa” beast. Friends Hodaka caught on fire at a gas station and this brought so many memories. Well Done!

I had a 1973 Hodaka 125 Wombat when I was a kid. Had a lot of fun.

I'm 61, you given me and delivered perfectly ALL the answers I've wondered about for a lifetime.. This really hit home! Excellent documentary! 🇨🇦 👊

I had a Hodaka Ace 100. Chrome tank, upside down shifting, lots of fun! Ahh...the good old days. Thanks for posting this vid!

Loved my 175 Combat Wombat and I put a 10" sprocket on the back wheel, so that thing would climb pine trees. Turned that bike into a trials runner and had great fun for way less than a Honda or Yamaha, etc. I so wanted to be Brad Lackey when I was a teen - he was the man to beat on two wheels. Memories of Saddleback Mountain and the canyons of SoCal. Other m/c names come to mind, like Bull Taco, Husqavarna, Norton, etc, etc. Great times!

I have a pretty interesting Hodaka story. I grew up riding mini bikes in the late 60's and got pretty good on them and started going to the new mini bike races in Brevard county Florida. I was collecting lots of trophies and was one of if not the fastest riders. we all rode typical unsuspended lawn mower engined MB's, with the fastest ones being slightly modified. It was race what you brung with only three classes by age including the open class. Then the honda 50 and 70cc Trails started showing up with transmissions and suspension and bigger/better tires. They were tough to beat. I was a voracious minibike/minicycle magazine reader and showed my Dad (who was an engineer out at Cape Canaveral) an article about the new Bonanza Minibike...it looked close to a traditional mini bike but had full suspension and it had a Hodaka 100cc 5 speed motorcycle engine with an expansion chamber and foam air filter. I never said anything about buying one but next thing I know a big crate shows up and it's the Bonanza. the thing would do 60 MPH and would pull wheelies at that speed too. We show up at the next race with it and I am pulling massive power wheelies thru the pits and several of the fathers went to the organizers and protested. We were informed we wouldn't be able to race. At that my Dad talked to them and pointed out that we had been racing against the honda's for months and they had transmissions and full suspension and that the rules said nothing about engine size. The organizers agreed and I was allowed to race. I literally lapped the field like five or six or seven times. After that they changed the rules that said no 5 speed transmissions and we never raced again until i got a YZ100 and started my motocross career (a guy who was ranked 5th in the state of Florida in AMA 125cc Expert class motocross in '74 and raced in the Daytona 200 in '75 as an 18 year old Sr. in H.S. on a privateer fully sponsored (Island Yamaha, Merritt Island Florida) TZ-350 along with a partial AMA road race season.

Great video! Yep, my first real dirt bike was a Hodaka 100. Mine ended up with a B&N leading link fork with Girling shocks up front for 8" travel, a 2" swingarm stretch, Girling rear shocks, 19" Akront front wheel, 17" rear, expansion chamber, huge Filtron filter, no lights, and it was a blast.

Great video about great motorcycles! A junior high school buddy sold me his Super Rat for a couple hundred bucks around 1974. I cracked the case dumping it to avoid crashing into a fence. Got it welded back together. It was almost stolen when parked at a festival. I ran through backyards to my home to alert my dad and we caught up to the perp in my dad's pickup. If the perp had opened the second fuel valve the bike would have been long gone. My last memory was as in my late teens landing a very long jump and cracking the front wheel. Sold it soon after. I'm reminded daily about that awesome Super Rat as my ears are still ringing.

Had a 125 Hodaka back in 1973 at our shop. Super reliable and a great trail bike. Made the mistake of switching to the Honda MT 250 when it came out. Was disappointed for a number of reasons. The biggest was electrical issues and keeping water out of the air box. The Wombat was a reliable bike that handled the hills of the Massachusetts Berkshires well. Bought a Can Am 250 in early 1975 and loved that bike. Following a riding related spinal cord injury in mid 1975 I had to give up off road riding and took up a wheelchair due to paralysis from the waist down. Life actually turned out well despite the SCI but I really miss off road riding. But the one thing I really miss is the work that went into preparation for enduro riding. Loved the routine of riding on the weekend and then the evening work following a day on my job on my bikes as I prepared for the next weekend of riding on Cape Cod., the Berkshires or a number of other NETRA Trails in New England. That and getting to see Jimmy Ellis race at Southwick or Pepperell was my life back then. Hard to believe that was 50+ years ago. Thanks for the memories.

I'm 66 now, and when I was a teen, in SoCal...Hodakas were everywhere!! Never had one, but rode a few. Great little bikes. I had freinds who had them, and everyone loved them. They even put the Ace 90 and 100 engines in Mini bikes built by Bonanza. They won all of the mini mx races then. Super cool bikes, and great memories.

Came home from school to our home dairy farm in 1973 and there was a Hodaka Wombat waiting for us. Our dad had bought it from the little motorcycle shop (that sold BMW's also) in the next town north. Lots of trail riding and traveling to school. Thing almost killed me with a stuck throttle. Lotta fun.

Hodaka was the first 125 cc dirtbike I ever raced , my cousin was a dealer in Live Oak , Fla in the late 60's.I finished second behind the state champion.

Ah, the memories. First Hodaka I saw and rode was 1966. There was a hilly dirt area, in the neighborhood, where guys would ride their motorcycles. I was on a moped and there was this guy on a bike with a huge shiny metal gas tank and red frame that caught my attention. He looked familiar from high school. He let me try it out. A while later I went by his house to ask if I could ride it again and he had engine apart on his driveway. Man, I had to have one because it looked so good, was fun to ride and was super simple to work on. A year later I bought a ACE 90 off the showroom floor.

Man, that marketing campaign seems awesome. I wish there was a company that gave whimsical names like “Super rat” and “Thunderdog” to their motorcycles. Making those motorcycles super reliable helps too

The research that went into this is astounding! Awesome presentation! I rode a Hodaka when I was young. It was a beast!

Thank you for another great video! I wondered what happened to Hodaka, My 125cc Combat Wombat was my first race bike for high school motocross at Orange County International Raceway back in the early 70’s. Loved my 100cc Super Rat also! You brought back some great memories!

My cousin fully restored a Super Rat in the late 90s. I remember the freshly painted air cleaner cover with NOS "Super Rat" sticker on it. He still has it, alongside his collection of Vespas, Lambrettas, Cushmans and the like.

Rode both the Ace 100 and later-- the Super Rat. Terrific times were had. Mostly rode desert out south of Mojave. I remember that if you didn't crash at least once -or- pick cactus out of your leg... well, it just wasn't fun. A dislocated thumb, 3 cracked ribs, 129 cactus spines, a totally ruined front wheel,-- now THAT was a fun day. When I wasn't breaking it, the Rat never let me down. Not once. All crashes were on me, not the bike. I also destroyed a Yamaha 125 Enduro desert racing. The Hodaka held up better.

My friend had a Super Rat in the mid 1970's. A lot of fun. Our neighborhood was surrounded by miles of cornfields.

This video brings back many memories. In 1973 my dad and mom brought home a ‘71 Ace 100 for me and my brothers, over the next couple years we road and modified that thing and had a blast. To this day at age 62 I’m still riding just about every day. Thanks mom and dad for all the memories.

The 1971 Super Rat was my first bike. It was 1978 and pop came home with 2 used Hodakas. One Ace 100 and the Super Rat. My uncle helped fix it up while I watched . ( and learned ) You had to get the adjustment on the internal shifting mechanism just right or it would go between gears. It was loud a hell so we went out and bought a " skyway" glass pack silencer , but within 2 days it was back to being just as loud as before due to the required 16 to one gas / oil ratio ( moulded onto the red gas tank cap ) It would foul its plug every day but after being wrapped in a rag and bounding around in its steel can tool case ( taken from the ace 100 ) the plug would work again. So I only ever used 2 plugs in the 2 years I rode it. First gear was super low and good for crawling through the forest . I really loved that bike . Wish I kept it When I sold it the chrome tank was still completely mint.

This seems to be the kind of thing that the world needs more of. I know two strokes are difficult to make work with emissions nowadays and small 4 strokes don't make much power, but a dual sport usable by everyone and powerful enough to get around with everyone on the road seems essential.

I helped a neighbor restore a Super Rat, and have a Dirt Squirt (restored) in my shed today. When I take it to a vintage bike show it attracts more attention than many more exotic bikes.

Thanks for all the research and cool vintage footage. My first dirt bike had an Ace 100 motor somebody put in a Suzuki 90 frame. It was the first 2 stroke engine I ever rebuilt. It was not very fast, but it would climb like a mountain goat.

I have an all original ACE 100, and it still runs great and looks even better. I love this bike, light weight, easy to work on and so much fun to ride. Wish I could find a wombat in the same kind of condition.

The Goon of poetry. Your videos seem to get better with each release. Please, keep 'em coming.

This series has been informative and solves some long uninformed speculation on my part. I remember all these brands as a kid. I lusted after the Hodaka bikes like crazy. That chrome tank looked so good. They were beyond my means back then by a long way. My bikes were used nasty things that like an F-16, need many hours of maintenance for every hour used.

I just love your storytelling ability. Never heard of this brand but love the story. Keep up the amazing work

Man, your channel is a gem. I love these stories and your narration is top notch. Cheers brother 🍻

Thanks Born-a-Goon for a great video on a great little motorcycle from back in the day. As a young teen trying to follow my older brother in motocross, I drooled over the Super Rat, but it was $500. in the early 70s and all I had was a paper route. Eventually, I was able to save up $250. and my brother negotiated the purchase of a Hodaka "B" model 100cc enduro, which I stripped of all its electrics in order to race motocross. My brother was supposed to do the job, but because of his procrastination, I just began taking things apart myself, and stupidly cut the ignition wires coming from the magneto cover. After that, to my surprise it wouldn't start. When my brother showed up and saw what I had done, he let me have it with a verbal barrage that I can't print here. Anyway, that little Hodaka was a great beginners bike for me even tho my actual track time on it was limited. I was saddened to watch the demise of Hodaka as the other Japanese manufactures began building better and affordable machines, the 1973 CR125 Honda Elsinore in particular with the All-American Boy, Marty Smith dominating the 125 national motocross scene. I also had to follow the wave of the future and owned a 1976 CR 125. Only saw one Combat Wombat at the local track, raced by one of our buddys, but other than that and a Suzuki TM or a Kawasaki KX or two, CR125s dominated the starting line. I never forgot my little Hodaka and kept a large Hodaka jacket patch until about 5-7 years ago when I gave it to a guy who had a couple of restored Hodakas that he and his son were still riding. Was glad to pass it on to a worthy recipient.

Dude! Fellow GenXer here. I HAD THE SAME FARAH FAWCET POSTER HANGING ON MY BEDROOM WALL!! Grew up going to the dez with my dad and his buddies. I’ve been riding for as long as I can remember. Almost had forgotten about Hodaka until I saw your video come across my feed. Thanks for sparking a memory bank.

My first bike was a Bonanza 1500 with Hodaka ACE100 motor, boy that mini bike would move.

Man what a great video I got goosebumps here in the names of all those great riders that I looked up to when I was a kid. Absolute wonderful commentary great video thank you so much for your hard work and your effort to put this out I wanted one of these when I was a kid by the time I was old enough to buy one they were almost non-existent anyway Life Goes On thanks again

My first bike was a Hodaka engine in a cut-down Triumph Cub frame - we called it The Hodumph.

Fabulous piece my friend. One of the best days of my life was picking up my Hodaka 125 with the chrome toaster tank and fenders in Sterling, VA. Swapped those our for Preston Petty tank and fenders, added an expansion chamber and reed valves, and ran with the Elsinore's in the neighborhood. Loved that machine. I think I picked up some dust in my eye as I watched the film :)

I had one! $425 brand new for an Ace 100 b+ in 1970. I lived about 40 miles from Weston Oregon where they were imported too. Weston is also the town featured in On Any Sunday where the hound and hare race went right through town. I believe the Hodaka company was originally Yamaguchi. I think that bike may be in a shed on my ex Mother in laws farm. My ex Father in law was the local Hodaka dealer and is who I bought it from.

That was an awesome story and it was well done, Mr. Born A Goon. The closing remarks were profound on many levels. Thanks again.

Had a 125 bought new 800. Never new the whole story until now. Many thanks.

My buddy has a Hodaka 125. I rode it at the Mx track prolly 12-14 years ago. It was terrible in comparison to days bikes but it sounded awesome. Like an angry chainsaw. He had restored it. Very clean machine. I’d like to ride it again one day.

So I had two of them. First was a Combat Wombat bought brand new. Road it in Sierras and the Santa Cruz mountains. It was stolen out of a locked building behind my apt. A few years later I bought an SL250 (their biggest streetable model) and road that for many years. It was a tough bike but a bit too heavy to be more than a big trail bike. But it hauled me around a LOT. Still have the owners manuals for both. The SL was under water in a flood for to long. Sold for salvage and gone. Of the two, I miss the Combat Wombat the most. That bike had a balance and a nimbleness that I have never felt on any other bike, and I have owned about 50 over my longish riding career. To those that still have them, keep on Keepin on 😁

Additional video content: Greeves & AJS. I liked Hodaka but I wish they'd offer a 250cc much sooner but the simple bike concept just wasn't going to survive thanks to the Big Four. Single-shock giraffe bikes w/ water cooling, disc brakes, yearly changing frame geometries & near infinitely adjustable suspensions adds a lot to a purchase price. Speed costs! At least the purists can say that the '60's was the decade of Hodaka. I agree!

Most underrated channel on YT. Great content!

My favorite bike was a Hodaka 125cc Combat Wombat I had a Yamaguchi 70cc would love to see Hodaka back in this modern age.

This is a great video that brought back lots of memories. As a youngster, my dad bought an basket case Ace 90. We eventually got it all put together and that was my first big wheel bike to ride. He later sold the Ace 90 and got a Combat Wombat that my brother in law now owns, good times for sure.

I remember a time where if you arrived at a race with anything other than a Hodaka, you might as well go home. The bikes never broke and came with many spares like sprockets, chain, etc. Good folks Combat Wombat!

You had me at Malcolm Smith! If Malcolm said that it's the bike to have, then it's the one for me. The man knows motorcycles better than most.

Hodakas were neat little bikes. A friend had one and it was a blast to ride..

Thanks for the memories!

Had a Hodaka think it was a 90cc back in the 70s, loved it, Hodaka was a joint Japanese and American company that manufactured motorcycles from 1964 to 1978. Close to 150,000 motorcycles were produced within that time. Prior to 1964 Hodaka made engines for the Yamaguchi motorcycle brand.

My Hodaka tale is about a character I knew in Fort Lauderdale back in the 1970s by the name of Bud "Teapot" Cresse. During the week he worked at the City Water Works just down the road from my employer, 441 Cycle Shop. On weekends he raced MX and short track on his Hodaka 100 with a little teapot screwed to his helmet! He mentored me in my short-lived racing "career", motocrossing a Triumph T25T, and roadracing a BMW R75/5 in the Summer of '76. Around 1977 he retired, loaded up his truck with the Hodaka strapped on back, and moved to Costa Rica to live the good life with plans to hire a young chickie to do his cooking and his laundry. I never heard from him again but I hope he realized his dream!

Loved the video. I loved my two Hodakas, a Wombat and a Combat Wombat. Easy to work on, easy to modify and fun to ride.

I bought an Ace 90 in 1966....never loved any of my bikes more. Rode it everywhere.

I used to ride on their motocross test track. They were super nice people and happy to let me ride even though I had a Suzuki. I was sad when they went out of business.

"Only the good die young". I was born in 1956 and became a motorcycle fanatic in the late '60s. Lived in rural upstate NY and there were great riding trails everywhere. I still remember coming home from school and trying to power through my homework as quickly as possible so I could get out and ride. Sitting at our dining room table with the window open and hearing the brap brap, ringading ding of other guys out riding while I was stuck inside. I never owned a Hodaka but remember the ads in Cycle World magazine with great fondness. I wonder who owns the Hodaka name now along with all the model names. I would think if someone resurrected it making simple and affordable dirt bikes that they'd sell a ton of them. Look at the Honda Monkey and how popular it is. If they could sell them for around $4K like the RE Himalayan, I'd buy one.

Loved the catchy names, especially the Combat Wombat. My buddy had the only one I ever saw. Cool little bake and very capable.

Just stirred up a lost memory! "Hodaka Dad !" ... "Come-on Son..Let's get one !"

Hodaka's were awesome! They weren't fast but had a rear sprocket the sized of an LP record! Very cool bikes!

I rode a honda 90 scrambler in 1969-70 , a glorified street bike with a raised exhaust pipe and motor skid plate. But my young friend owned and raced a Hodaka 100 Super Rat . He routinely placed first in small engine class motocross racing. Though he was a superb rider, the bike gave him the resource needed to perform so well.

Really enjoyed the video!! I bought a Super Combat and a Thunderdog brand new. I still own the Thunderdog and it still runs!

I rode one of these last month. It belonged to a older gentleman who is a regular vintage racer. The lack of travel in the suspension is terrifying. The power is impressive. You could put that engine in a modern frame and have something kinda awesome.

The first time I rode one of these was a glory day in my 67 years of life. That sure was a long time ago, but it staged my spirit to be a motorcyclist for my entire life.

My first dirt bike was a Kami JT with a Fuji 80 cc engine. Then My neighbor had a Hodaka ACE 100 in his garage that was left by the previous owner of the house and he gave it to me. It had been torn apart and was in boxes. I took it home, put it back together, and rode it until I graduated from high school in 1978.

Great vid! Here in new Zealand ,we never got Hodaka and I had never heard of them untill recently. Sounds like it was the start of a motorcycle revolution,, a whole new way of thinking . Well done Hodaka....

In 1976I bought the red headed step child of the hodaka family, a chaperell 100, the only place I could get parts was a hodaka dealer. When they closed down I sold it.

I still remember the running joke about works hodaka’s. A works hodaka was any hodaka that worked. Still have memories of racing one in the district 38 vintage class.

Combat Wombat, that name automatically makes it one of the coolest bikes ever

I was another victim of Hodaka love. Got into MX in the 70s. Loved the bikes.

Bought a '74 Super Rat. Modified it with a E.C. Birt pipe, larger carb, and a reed valve. Milled head to produce 225 lbs pressure. Man did it wake up. Great low end torque and still lots of high end power too. Loved that bike. It took the mods and ran like a scalded cat. Like a lot of (stupid) people I ended up wanting more so I tore it down and stuffed the crank. That proved too much crank pressure. Started blowing head gaskets. Ended up selling it to a friend and I don't know what happened to it. At 80 years of age I wish I could get on it again and pull that power third gear wheelie for a full block. I moved on to a 125 Elsinore but the souped up Super Rat is still the dirt bike of my heart. Those were the years!!!!

Love your videos & Mini -Documentaries. This one really shed some light on why the Hodaka company went belly -up when it seemed to me and my friends that they were doing so well at that time in the late ‘70’s . Those first Ace 90’s & Ace100’s were great little bikes , lightweight and pretty Damn reliable too. While not the fastest or most powerful, given the right track & rider they could definitely be competitive. I sure do miss those care free days of my youth riding almost every day with my buddies in & around all the canyon lands here in San Diego backcountry . Almost bought a used Ace 90 from our local Honda dealer one summer after a guy traded it in for a “ New” ‘74 125 Elsinore. I was only 14 at that time & had just gotten my 60cc Yamaha Mini-enduro earlier that year & wanted to move up to a “ Big -bore” Moto-crosser 😉. Unfortunately I couldn’t swing the trade without my parents consent & the extra cash I had made from my lawn mowing & paper route jobs , as my Mom was SURE I would kill myself riding such a powerful machine.😆. Anyway dug the story here & your others I have seen. Keep up the great work , & Thanks 😎👍

My 1st bike was a Ace 90. Then I got a ace 100 , then a couple years later I ended up with a 125 Combat Wombat and then I got a CR 250 in like 1986. Moving up to a CR 500 eventually. But around 1995 or 96 I seen a ad in the local paper for a estate sale . A couple Hodaka motorcycles were listed in the ad. So I called the number and was told I could come that evening if I wished before the sale even started the next day officially. So I go and there was a like brand new 1975 Hodaka 100 Road Toad and a just as immaculate 1976 Hodaka 250 Thunderdog . The gentleman in charge of the sale told me if I paid $350 for the 250 Thunderdog I could have the 100 Road Toad for another $25 because they had been sitting for over 15 years and probably needed to be completely rebuilt according to him. I had both running great before dinner that evening. Although they definitely needed new tires and a few other small things before they could be considered rideable. Unfortunately they both burned up along with almost everything else I owned in a wildfire in 2017. But they were well ridden having been ridden 1000s of miles by my 4 kids and myself by then . And they were unbelievably reliable the entire time . Which was a good thing because parts arent falling off trees

Excellent story and presentation as always 👏

Wombat roared past my , friends Honda ! Next month after that everyone had one or was desperate to get one.

My first bike was a '75 Wombat 125. Wish I still had it.

Brings back lots if memories. Great story. 👍

Bought a used Combat Wombat for $200 with my savings from a summer of lawn care work, when I was a kid. Think it was 1976. My dad had a fit, but my argument that I bought it with money I earned was persuasive, and I became the envy of all the motorcycle kids on my end of town. It was fast, and I won a lot of trail races with it. If I didn't win, it was because I wiped out. Wish we could go back to times that simple. ✌️🐸💨

I had totally forgotten about Hodakas. Another great documentary.

I had a hodaka dealer in the rural area I lived in back in 76 when I was 13. I envied the guys that could buy them. I ended up with a used 90cc for my first bike but it was hard starting and I remember when I kicked it over some time it didn't engage and I'd smack my shin. 😊 I delivered Grit newspapers on it lol.

I bought a brand new Hodaka Road Toad back in 1973 from mowing lawns when I was a kid...

Graduated from my Schwinn Pea Picker to my Hodaka Wombat in the early-80's.... miss them both😢

Thanks for the video! Literally takes me back exactly 50 years ago!

"Hodaka Handles" I owned a Dirt Squirt. Loved it.

I remember Hodaka ads saying they even used them, with sucess, in road racing.

The kid one farm over always had a new motorcycle and stickers and patches of which he gave us some and we would go riding with him across the fields to the dirt track set up on the backside of a hill. Hodaka was the dirt bike. When I’d ride my bike into Athena, Oregon my friends and I would ride our bmx bikes on this sweet track with jumps and banked turns by the sawmill in town. We rode that test track much as possible. Good times back then.

We had second hand Dirt Squirts in the early '80s. I was mad that they didnt look more "modern". I miss those bikes now.

Frank Wheeler was the first rider to come here and circumnavigate Australia on a motorcycle in modern times... On a Hodaka! I had more than one Ace 100B and ended up with a Super Combat which was simply terrifying to ride! Premixing the fuel was a pain in the butt and having the clutch on the end of the crankshaft was just bizarre..! Hodakas were usually sold by shops that sold "those other brands" like Bultaco and Montessa. "Is that actually a Honda?" was the most common question from onlookers who didn't know any better. Like my old '56 VW Beetle, I still miss the crazy little things... 💔

The advertising angle was awesome. I was one of the only kids in my neighborhood that didn't have a dirt bike. I remember reading motorcycle magazines and seeing the Hodaka advertisements. I knew little about bikes but KNEW I had to have a Combat Wombat. I mean, of course? Right? Also interesting this video inspired me to see what it would cost to get one of these today. Google is super powerful and you would think if one was for sale it would pop right up. I didn't find any. They must be out there. I suspect their owners just don't sell them.

Great video ! Such a cool story.

I do remember riding a few Hodaka bikes. They seemed to be a great bikes. The one thing I don't remember was having a Dealership in Bakersfield CA. . Which not having the Internet back then would have made it hard to get parts for. But love the K.I.S.S. idea and if Hodaka came back today I'd be takin' a close look at it.

My brother bought a new Combat Wombat. Then went into the Army, while he was in basic training, I had that bike to myself. Had a flat front tire on the trail, rode a wheelie all the way home to fix the flat. Never had a bike that was as easy to wheelie as that bike. Whe he got out of basic, came home quick and sold it. I miss that bike.

Got a Hodaka 100 and I was 13 back in 1973 love that bike

My Brother had 100 🐝 , that bike was awesome. My brother put Huge back sprocket making it so it would climb anything it could get traction on. I was going to buy one and Hodaka dealer advised me not to because he couldn't get parts and that was in 75 so in 76 I purchased a Honda 175 Elsinore. I had a lot of friends that had Hodaka's who eventually went with Suzuki and Kawasaki. Was sad to see them go and never knew what happened. Thanks for the video.

My older brother had a used one that ran for a little while, lol...I piddled with it forever way before I knew anything about mechanics, never got it running. Never forgot the funky name....

My first bike was a very used Super Rat back in the 80's.

One kid, Leroy Montgomery, had a Super Rat. The source of all our jealousy. He could ride that thing around the entire "track" (Lost World, we called it) on the rear wheel. Man that bike was schweeeet!

The best quality doc of all RU-vidrs I follow (outstanding moving narration even missing to many pro off voices 👌) You deserve more than niche ! But BIKES are our Passion, and that's why you're so genuinly good. As "we scroll through garbage all day" 😉, Please keep this quality over quantity. I can wait for it ! (I feel so sad for my French biking friends that they can't watch this) Félicitation ! 🇫🇷

I can remember when I first seen a Hodaka motorcycle. at first I had a Suzuki 185cc and then I got a Husqvarna 360cc. and I remember seeing these bikes with chrome fuel tanks they were easy to recognize. and they were the first bikes to have expansion chambers on them. and they were all of sudden winning races. and more and people were buying them. and got to where we were seeing them everywhere. and there were times the owners would stop riding them. long enough that we could get a good look at them. and the most common sizes were 100cc and 125cc. and about the time we got used seeing them around they suddenly disappeared. and I always wondered what happened to the company? and it appears the same as a lot of other companies, not solid enough management.